


Love in Korea!

by artemis-red (HimekoUchia)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Korean Restaurant AU, M/M, Meet-Cute, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-10 01:43:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5564167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HimekoUchia/pseuds/artemis-red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For his birthday, Nico gets a giftcard to the popular Korean BBQ in town. </p><p>Little does he know, this restaurant is catered to single people in need of company.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love in Korea!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CarleeAdison](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarleeAdison/gifts).



> Based off of the "Korean restaurant for single people" post on tumblr and youtube. The name of my restaurant stems from my awful soft spot for unapologetically tacky tourist-bait restaurant names.
> 
> For CarleeAdison's birthday! I do realize that I promised you art for your birthday, and that's next on my to do list XD. I've not had the chance to do much drawing surrounded by my family all day. I mean, I could, but then my cousin's children would be traumatized for life.
> 
> To avoid my last year's utter failure at completing PJO fics, I'm making this sweet and short. I know how much you love dorky Jason.  
> And credit to xsonofhadesx for my favorite crack pairing that is Luke and Eros. If any of you guys read his fics, you would understand why XD.

The second he stepped into the restaurant, Nico was overwhelmed with the delicious smell of roasting pork and barbecued beef. He once again reminded himself of why he was so fond of his sister's boyfriend.  
He knew that Frank had trouble picking up a gift for Nico's birthday because they weren't exactly close enough for the man to offer Nico something personal. No doubt Hazel had to give him a hand. But her advice had paid off because for the first time in a while, Nico was excited to eat. Frank's giftcard would be put to very good use indeed.

"Welcome to Love in Korea!" smiled the cheery doorman. "Table for one?"  
Nico nodded, sticking his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. He quickly looked around the restaurant. The decor was in a traditional Korean style, with a few vases of red roses here and there. Nico found that to be a strangely romantic touch for a barbeque place. Maybe it was in honor of the restaurant's name?  
"Are you single?" added the doorman, indicating for Nico to follow him.

Nico nearly suffocated on his saliva. He stared wide-eyed at the man. His smile didn't waver and he looked completely serious.  
"Um... Yes?" mumbled Nico, trying to figure out whether or not the waiter was hitting on him. He was saved from an incoming onslaught of embarrassment by a familiar face.

"Nico! Hazel told me you might come today!" shouted another waiter. This man was about Nico's age, barely in his twenties, and about the same height too. He grinned at the waiter who was showing Nico to his seat. "I'll take him to my section, thank you Mitchell."

Mitchell, the other weird waiter, just shrugged and went back to his spot at the front door. Nico glanced back at his friend and was met with a smirking green-eyed boy.   
"Eros. I did recall Luke mentioning that you worked in a Korean restaurant. Didn't you nearly get fired for being too flirty with the customers?"

The waiter, Eros, was Luke's boyfriend. Nico had met Luke on the first day of university when the older boy was assigned as his course mentor. When they found out that they had mutual friends, they started hanging out more often, usually in the company of Percy and Annabeth. They had gotten quite close in the past few years and Nico had witnessed the moment Luke and Eros had met. The latter was from a neighboring school and they had caught him trying to sneak into their university's dance club's training sessions to scout out the competition. Nico hadn't cared, but Luke seemed set on telling Eros off. However, Eros had immediately tried to obnoxiously flirt his way out of the situation in his cute French accent. It had worked far to well, then Eros had taken a fancy to Luke and numbers had been exchanged. The rest was history.

The familiar face brought about a sudden kick of suspicion in Nico's gut. He liked Eros, he really did. But whenever he was around, and whenever he smiled like that... with that evil, seductive grin that Luke had no power over, it usually meant trouble.

"I wasn't flirting, this is just how I speak to everyone! Besides, I don't see the problem with excellent customer service. Well..." Eros scratched the side of his head. "I guess flirty waiters would ruin the point of the restaurant. I work part time here while I complete my degree! The food is delicious. Our daily special is barbequed pork neck with a side of noodles and kimchi. Have you ever had Korean barbeque?"  
Eros shoved Nico into a little booth. It was strangely designed to be monopersonal and Nico found himself facing a blank, black wooden screen. The top of the table had a small plate-sized hole in it where a curved metal grid was placed.  
"No. I've heard good things about it, though." replied Nico. Eros bent over and shuffled for something under his table. He stood up a second later and pointed to metal part of the table.  
"I just switched the gas on, so don't touch it! I will basically bring you any raw ingredients you order and you fry them yourself directly on the stove. It's really fun."

Nico sat up straight and examined the rest of the seating area for anything else he would need help with. On his left, attached to the wall, was a plastic box with a touch screen on it. He nodded towards it.  
"Is that part of the barbeque too?"

Eros's smile suddenly got larger and took on a devilish quality. Nico felt regret immediately rush into his system. Something was definitely up.  
"Somewhat. It's what makes this restaurant particularly special, along with the amazing food. You'll see later, mon ami." he winked at Nico and handed him a menu.

Nico glanced through it and had no idea how he was supposed to choose from the wide selection of noodles and meat. He flipped through the menu until he found a generously sized set with a colorful mix of meat, vegetables and rice.  
"One beef barbeque lunch set please?" he flipped to the drink section and was met with an array of colorful drinks. “Um...”  
Eros came to his rescue and pointed to something on the page.  
“This tea is my favorite.”  
“I'll have that, then. Thanks.”

The waiter tapped his Ipad screen a few times and took Nico's menu.  
“I'll be back!”  
Then he was gone, leaving Nico at his table. Nico immediately started tapping on the touchscreen. If this contraption were entirely innocent, Eros would have just told him what it was. Nothing eventful happened. The screen was obviously switched off. Nico just shrugged and decided to file his curiosity away for another time while Eros came back with some food and drink. Nico immediately dug in.  
Well… he tried to. He hadn't used chopsticks in ages. But after a few minutes struggling to pick up a peanut, he finally managed to finish his appetizers.

Eros returned with a large platter filled with raw meat and vegetables, as well as Nico's bowl of white rice. Nico experimentally placed a thin slice of beef onto the metal grid and watched with fascination as the meat started darkening with a satisfying sizzling noise.  
“Enjoy, Nico!” called out Eros in a sing-songy voice, leaving him to his food.

Nico immediately became engrossed in this new experience, excitedly placing beef and some vegetables onto the griddle. Once one of the slices of meat was cooked, he took it off the barbeque, dipped it in sauce and stuck it into his mouth. Ignoring the third degree burn he was giving himself, he let out an appreciative sigh. That was delicious. He silently thanked Frank and Hazel for this divine experience.  
And it was only just starting. He looked at his giant platter of food and mentally prepared himself for the food orgasm he was about to live. Nico was so engrossed in his food that he nearly jumped when a voice came from the other side of the black screen in front of him.

“Um… Could I have a daily special please?”

He hadn't noticed anyone getting into the booth in front of him. The voice was obviously male, though. Nico shrugged and was about to go back to his meal when Eros finished taking the other guy's order and walked past his booth. He leaned over and pressed something under his table with a wink. Then he was off again.

What the heck was up with that guy?

Well, so far, his food didn't taste poisoned so he figured that whatever Eros was up to wasn't going to prevent him from enjoying his food. He stuck another piece of meat into his mouth. Then he heard a soft tapping sound from the other side of the divider and Nico frowned, suspicions suddenly returning.  
He glanced at the touch screen on his left and nearly fell out of his seat. The screen was switched on and across it was simply written:  
“Would you like some company today?”  
And under it were “Yes” and “No” buttons.

The gears turned in Nico's head and his eyes widened. He glanced back at the black screen dividing him from a complete stranger.  
Damn Hazel and Eros. They had probably come up with this plan to get him to socialize outside of his friend and family circle. And they had used the poor, unknowing Frank as the vector of their conniving. Eros constantly badgered him to join more clubs and make more friends. To which he would reply that being friends with both him and Luke was enough of a strain on his quota for social interactions, thank you very much.

But still…

Nico glanced up at the touch screen. What would happen if he pressed that “Yes” button? It's not like a loud speaker would announce that “The lonely Italian kid in booth 34 doesn't like eating alone!”. At least, the entire restaurant was quiet apart from the general hubbub usually present in such places. No loud blaring of announcements.

Nico decided that any potential embarrassment and his absolute lack of trust in Eros's ideas was not worth even touching that screen. Especially when Eros returned with his neighbor's meal with another inconspicuous wink.

He went back to enjoying his barbeque, quickly saving a piece of food that was started to burn at the edges.

After about ten minutes though, he started to hear a quiet tapping noise. Nico frowned, looking up at the black divider as it vibrated gently. The noise wasn't urgent or demanding, so Nico figured that the stranger was just mindlessly kicking the divider. He tried to go back to eating, but he was now fully aware that there was someone sitting barely a meter away from him. It didn't help when the complete stranger moaned loudly.  
“God, this is delicious,” added the anonymous man softly.

The man sounded young. He had a nice voice, even if he had barely been whispering. Nico glanced back at the touch screen. What would happen if he pressed the button?  
Giving in to curiosity, Nico tapped the “Yes” on the screen.

The black divider in front of him suddenly dropped, causing Nico to jump out of his chair in surprise and for the stranger opposite of him to choke on a large mouthful of noodles. Nico stared, mortified, as the boy started to cough loudly.

The boy was about Nico's age, if not slightly older. And he was drop dead gorgeous.  
He had a frame much larger than Nico's and was obviously almost a head taller. He was built like a jock and looked like all the stereotypical ones he occasionally saw in teenage highschool TV dramas. Not that he would ever admit to watching Glee.  
He had short, spiky blond hair and a jaw line so chiseled that it looked like it had been sculpted out of marble. And a pair of sharp blue eyes hidden behind a pair of fogged up glasses.

Eyes that were staring right back at Nico despite the tears welling up in them as their owner finally managed to dislodge the food in his throat.

Nico immediately felt self-conscious and glanced back at the touch screen. Where was the “Oh no the stranger is too hot for my gay ass to handle, please hide me again forever so that he can't stare at me with those pretty blue eyes!” button?

The boy cleared his throat, his face completely red. Probably from nearly suffocating on Korean barbeque. He had noticed Nico glaring at his touch screen and looked fairly disappointed. Well, Nico was probably imagining that part. Great, only ten seconds into the meeting and Nico was already projecting his attraction onto the boy and imagining that the stranger had any interest in talking to an awkwardly pale, skinny Italian kid like him.

And look, here he was already making it romantic. The stranger was obviously as straight as an arrow. Nico gave up on the touch screen and silently begged the ground to open up, swallow him and dump him straight in Hell. He was going to drag Eros down with him for sure.

The blond boy finally spoke.  
“Hi. Sorry for grossing you out there. I'm Jason.”  
Jason extended a hand, leaning forward slightly to be able to reach Nico's side of their table. Nico stared down at the boy's hand and quickly shook it, not wanting to awkwardly leave Jason hanging. Jason's hand was warm and firm, but his handshake was gentle.

“You didn't. I'm Nico.” he finally managed to say after pulling his hand out of the stranger's grasp. “I just… I'm really sorry for startling you with that. I got curious and pressed the button. I'm sorry. I'll call Eros and get him to pull the divider back up so that you can go back to eating your meal in peace.”

Jason bit his lip, the previous expression that seemed to convey disappointment washed over his face again. Nico wouldn't allow himself to think about that. Or to stare at that tiny scar over the boy's top lip. This was all far too awkward for him to handle.

“Oh. The screen asked if you wanted company though. So I think we're meant to get to know each other.” stammered Jason, his face still red. Nico managed a shrug.  
“Yeah, but this is a little too intimate for me. Besides, isn't it weird for you to eat lunch with another single man?”

Jason grinned and Nico had to close his eyes for a second to remind himself cute straight men were his greatest weakness and sorrow.  
“But I love having lunch with cute single men!”

Nico leaned backwards in his seat. He must have misheard.  
“What?”

Jason's grin faltered and he slapped his hand over his mouth. He glared down at the ceramic bottle on his table accusingly.  
“Sorry! I didn't mean it like that and you're probably not even interested in men. I just had a lot to drink. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable!”  
Uncomfortable didn't exactly explain Nico's jumble of feelings accurately. A long, high pitched “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!” sound would be more fitting. He mentally crossed 'straight' off the list of characteristics Jason possessed.  
“You've only been in here for ten minutes. You must be a real lightweight for such a buff guy.” 

Nico wanted to facepalm. Great. It seemed like his hot guy-repellent personality was resurfacing at convenient times. How were Luke and Percy his friends again?

“Ah. Well, my friend Piper gave me a pretty generous giftcard to this place for Christmas and insisted I go today, so I just went overboard on the alcohol. I already finished my bottle. It tastes like plums.” said Jason slowly, nodding somberly.

Nico frowned, suspicious yet again. He didn't know a Piper. He didn't remember Eros mentioning that he had a friend called Piper. So maybe this was not orchestrated after all. Maybe this was all just a wonderful, wonderful coincidence. Nico was having lunch with a hot not-straight guy in a Korean restaurant called “Love in Korea” with Eros as his waiter.  
Coincidence his ass.

“Does your friend Piper go to this city's fashion school?” asked Nico, searching for Eros amidst the busy restaurant. No such luck. Jason looked confused.  
“Nope. But Piper's half sister Drew does. And she has a few friends who go there. She's cool. Not Drew. Piper. Did you know that our waiter goes to that same fashion school? He's one of Piper's friends. Didn't think I was going to run into him here. What a small world, huh?”

Nico gritted his teeth.  
“Tiny.”

Jason smiled.  
“Well, I hope you stay for lunch with me, Nico. I don't like eating alone.”  
Jason's cheerfulness was infectious, even if it was probably a side effect of Korean wine. Nico couldn't help himself from returning a small smile. He made a mental note to order some of that wine more when Eros walked by.  
“Neither do I.”

Jason's face only brightened.   
“Nico?”  
“Yes?”  
“Your meat is burning.”

Nico glanced down at his food with a jolt.  
“Dammit!”

**Author's Note:**

> I do realize that like 70% of this is foodporn and Lukeros fangirling. I tried. I tried.  
> Happy birthday Carlee! XD


End file.
